On Monday, May 9th, Urban Initiatives’ Founders Jim Dower and Dan Isherwood were invited to Mayor Daley’s farewell open house. They attended the event and appreciated the opportunity to give thanks and bid goodbye to a man who has been a supporter of education and soccer-based youth development initiatives in the City of Chicago. From…
When Urban Initiatives started the Work to Play Program at Tarkington we were confident that our program would be a great fit in the West Lawn neighborhood. No one predicted, however, how popular the program would be and how quickly it would impact the Tarkington community. Currently we are serving 48 committed students at Tarkington…
On a recent field trip with the Attucks soccer team, Urban Initiatives’ staff had an opportunity to chat with parents and hear their feedback on the Work to Play Program. Urban Initiatives thanks the parents for their input as well as for participating in the field trip. Committed parents are critical in raising committed youth!…
Urban Initiatives is pleased to announce that partner school, Walsh Elementary has received federal recognition as Gold from the National Healthy Schools Campaign. Walsh is one of the first Chicago Public Schools to receive this honor. To be selected as a recipient of this award Walsh has committed to the health and nutrition of their…
Urban Initiatives is thrilled to have received a grant from the Cubs Care, a fund of the McCormick Foundation, in support of our Work to Play Program at Jahn Elementary. We are incredibly grateful to have their support of our sports-based youth development program. THANK YOU! Jim Dower had the pleasure of accepting the check…
The Chicago Cubs generously donated 30 tickets for their April 18th encounter with San Diego Padres. Students from Walsh Elementary who had 90% or better attendance for the winter season were awarded these tickets to enjoy the game with their families. Erwin Martinez was excited to be at the game with his father who is…
On a recent trip to the doctor’s office, Maria, a fifth grade soccer player at Prieto Elementary, received some surprising news. Though many would prefer to avoid surprises in this particular setting, for Maria, it was nothing but positive. She recalled that her doctor was, "surprised because I used to weigh a lot when I…
Last week Urban Initiatives’ very own Jim Dower spent a day on the Hill in Washington D.C. educating members of congress about the impact of our Work to Play Program. Urban Initiatives met with several Congressman, Senators, and their respective staff, who represent the communities that host the Work to Play Program in their districts.…
Urban Initiatives knows that our kids love being on the Urban Initiatives soccer team. Why else would they show up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at 7:30 AM on a Monday for practice? But what do the parents think? To answer that question, Urban Initiatives asked the parents at Reavis Elementary for their feedback on the Work…
Last week Healthy Schools Campaign, the Chicago Public Schools, and the Office of Minority Health, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services teamed up to recognize Minority Health Month in a series called Heroes for Healthy Schools. On April 8th, they concluded the week’s activities by joining Urban Initiatives for our game day at…
With only two practices under their belts, the soccer players at Alfred Nobel Elementary already have a good grasp of what it takes to be on the Urban Initiatives soccer team. As soon as they arrived on Thursday, Jose, a third grader on the team, excitedly told Coach Cynthia that he had gone running with…